Mapping Antibiotic Resistance Gene Transmission in Human-Pig Environments

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents one of the most significant risks to global public health. Beside human medicine, antimicrobials, especially antibiotics, are extensively used in animal husbandry for treatment, metaphylaxis, prophylaxis, and for growth promotion. Such consumption in animal production creates an ideal environment for the development and amplification of resistant genes and pathogens. Livestock such as pigs and their raising environment may then serve as a potential reservoir, thereby increasing the risk of transmission to the human population. In Vietnam, the total tonnes of antibiotics used in pig rearing is almost 1.5-fold that used for human consumption. Additionally, practices including over-the-counter purchase and uncertainty regarding antibiotic in-feed labelling, present challenges in accurately quantifying and assessing the true total use. Although both the microbiome and resistome are altered by administered antibiotics, it is unclear how such exposures affect the resistance burden of pigs and extend to their farmers in Vietnam. Therefore, the aim of this study was to firstly characterise and compare the microbiome and resistome of pigs and their respective farmers; reveal the potential transmission at strain level and through plasmids, mobile genetic elements (MGEs) between pig and farmer and finally, access the abundance of ESKAPE pathogens and the presence of the clinically important resistance genes in the gut of the pigs.